Congers, NY (August 8, 2005) - Wizard Conventions, the country's foremost authority on everything related to comic books, ushered 56,000 people through the doors of the Donald J. Stephens Convention Center this past weekend, making the ninth-annual, comic book, collectible and pop-culture extravaganza the largest Wizard World Convention to date. The strong showing in Chicago puts the company on pace to challenge its previous year's attendance record of 110,000, with its inaugural Boston (September 30 - October 2) and annual Texas (November 4 - 6) events still to come. Wizard Conventions attributes the significant increase in attendance to this year's extended show hours and robust lineup of talent.
In a Wizard World Convention first, the nationally recognized convention ran for four days, from Thursday, August 4, through Sunday, August 7, featuring a premiere night that provided hardcore collectors with exclusive access to the show floor prior to opening its doors to general ticket holders.
"The response our fans gave us from opening our doors a day early was tremendous," said Gareb Shamus, chairman and CEO of Wizard Conventions. "Fans voted with their tickets and on Thursday's premiere night, they recognized Wizard Conventions' efforts to continually work to provide the greatest access to today's hottest pop-culture properties and premier collectibles."
Keeping with its rich tradition of providing fans with the opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with today's hottest pop culture talent, Wizard World Chicago featured co-guests of honor, comic noir legend and Sin City mastermind, Frank Miller, as well as Batman and Superman super-star artist, Jim Lee. The two forces are working on one of this summer's hottest comic books, All-Star Batman and Robin The Boy Wonder.
Attendees were treated to a stellar lineup of talent that also included Kevin Smith & Jason Mewes (Clerks), Joe Quesada (Marvel Editor-in-Chief), Mick Folley (Wrestler), Steve Sansweet (Star Wars), Andy Hallet (Angel) and Chicago's very own morning radio personality of "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," Mancow.
Television and comic book veterans were also on-hand for interviews, photos and autograph signings. These included Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-man), Joe Quesada (Marvel Editor in Chief), Jeph Loeb (Superman/Batman), Alex Ross (Marvel, Kingdom Come), Marc Silvestri (Hunter Killer) and Mike Turner (Soulfire).
With Warner Brothers Studios having incorporated Wizard World events as key components of its marketing plan for the Batman franchise - and with Batman Begins being recognized as a box office success - Dreamworks Studios featured an advance screening of Wes Craven's latest film, Red Eye, this past weekend to a packed house, as well as a special Q & A session with the director and two of the stars of Rogue Pictures' Cry_Wolf, Lindy Booth and Julian Morris.
As part of its ongoing commitment to charitable work, Wizard Conventions raised $14,000 for the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Research Fund, and sponsored a charity auction on Friday night for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, with Shamus appearing as one of the events hosts.
Wizard World Chicago also gave fans the inside track on the latest industry news and trends through panel discussions, Q&A sessions and autograph signings. These included a LucasFilm: Star Wars presentation with head of fan relations at LucasFilm, Steve Sansweet, a meet and greet with the DC All Stars, a panel discussion with Lions Gate Entertainment's creative team for its upcoming DVD release, Ultimate Avengers and a fan-frenzied Q & A with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes.
Wizard World Chicago gave gamers an opportunity to play the hottest PlayStation 2 and X-Box videogames and compete for prizes in the Ultimate Video Game Challenge Powered by GameStop. Featuring over 40 consoles, Wizard World Chicago sought to find the ultimate gamer across titles like Halo 2, Madden 2005 and NBA Street!
Wizard World will make its next stop in Boston on September 30 through October 2, 2005. For more information and/or a complete list of guests, activities, ticket prices and event times, visit www.wizarduniverse.com.
About Wizard World
Wizard World Los Angeles, Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago, Wizard World Texas and Wizard World Boston are produced by Wizard Conventions Inc. Wizard Conventions is a sister company of Wizard Entertainment, the industry leader in the comic book and collectibles market that publishes four magazines, Wizard: The Comics Magazine, InQuest Gamer: The Gaming Magazine, ToyFare: The Toy Magazine and Anime Insider, as well as co-publisher of Toy Wishes: The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment. Wizard's publications have a monthly national readership of more than 2 million and are currently sold in 25 countries and five languages. Wizard can be found online at www.wizarduniverse.com.
